Editorial

Medearis appointed clerk of U.S. District Court

John Medearis of Chattanooga will serve as clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee beginning Feb. 13.

Medearis succeeds Debbie Poplin, who has been appointed a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, effective Feb. 13, succeeding retiring Magistrate Judge Clifford Shirley.

Medearis has served as chief deputy clerk of the district for the past 17 years. The Eastern District of Tennessee covers 41 counties in this region of the state. The court has offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Greeneville.

Medearis holds a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. From 1984 to 1987, he served as a law clerk for the late U.S. District Judge H. Ted Milburn and continued as a law clerk with Judge Milburn when the judge was appointed to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 1987, Medearis joined the Chattanooga law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, and in 1991, he returned to the court as manager of the Clerk’s Office in Chattanooga. Later, he was promoted to operations manager for the district and was appointed chief deputy clerk in 2001.

Medearis has been active in the Chattanooga chapter of the Federal Bar Association, serving as president of the organization and as a member of its board of directors. In 2013, he received the chapter’s Outstanding Service Award. Medearis is also a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association.

Medearis is a frequent speaker on federal practice and procedure and has organized a number of seminars.